Electrical regulator.



- UNIT D PATENT oFFIC FRANK CONRAD, OF PITIXSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- ELECTRICAL REGULATOR.

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Regulators, of which the following is a specification. v

y invention relates to electrical regulators, and particularly to such regulators as are employed for regulating the voltage 0f a generator.

The object of my invention is to prov de a regulator of the character indicated which shall be simple in construction, effective to prevent hunting or fluctuations erator voltage, and independent citer voltage in adapted for use nating current of the exits operation, so that it is with either direct or altergenerators that are either self or separately excited.

.- tact terminal the exciter field winding 7,

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view .of a system embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification of the systemshown in l jig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagram of curves relating to the-operation of my invention. In Fig. 1, an alternating current generator 1, for supplying current to a circuit 234, is provided with a field magnet winding 5 that is separately excited from an exciter 6 having a field magnet winding The field strength of the exciteris adjusted by opening and closing a shunt circuit to a resistance 8, that is connected in series with by. means of a relay device comprising a stationary con tact terminal 9 and a cooperating movable contact terminal 10 that is mounted upon ,one" end of a pivoted arm 11 having an 14 is mounted upon a pivoted arm 16 carrying at its opposite end an armature or core 17 of an electro-magnetic actuating device having a coil 18, that is connected to the distributing circuit conductors 3 and 4, and is, therefore, energized in accordance with variations of the voltage of carries an armature or core 22 of the gen- -terval of appl distributing circuit. Thecon- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 24, 1911.

Patented July 20, 1915. Serial No. 623,035.

the distributing circuit. A spring 19 tends to maintain the contact terminal 14 in enterminal 15, in

gagement with the contact opposition to the coil 18. The arm 16 is connected to one of the distributing circuit conductors, such as 4. The contact member 15 is carried by a pivoted arm 21 that also of an electrodevice which comprises, further, two parallel-connected differential coils 23 and 24, the said coils being con nected between the'arm2l and one of the distributing circuit conductors, such as 3.

he circuits of the coils 23 and 24, are, accordingly, governed by the contact terminals 14 and 15. In series with the coil 23, is a resistance 25 of any suitable character, but preferably a non-inductive resistance magnetic actuating having a low temperature co-efiicient, that is, one having a substantially uniform spe .cific resistance at varying temperatures, so

remain of substan-f tially uniform value after it has once risen that the current will to its full value. In series with the coil 24, is another suitable resistance, such as a ferent temperature sistance 25, the said resistance being preferably' of'such a character that current traversing the same will quickly rise to a maximum value and then gardually fall to a lower uniform value with continued application of current. The best conditions of operation will also be secured if the currents traversing 'the'two'resistances 25 and 26 attain their maximum values substantially at the same rate and simultaneously.

In order to clearly illustrate the character of-the resultant magnetization of the coils 23 and 24, the diagram of Fig. 8 has been prepared, in which curves 23 and 24", respectively, represent the changes of current values in the coils 23 and 24 after sudden but continued to. It will be seen that the two curves are substantially coincident during ication of current to but that, after the said currents tained their maximum values, traversing the coil 24 gradually while that traversing the-coil uniform. 'Since the coils are difi'erentially connected, that is. in opposition, the rebecomes less sultant magnetization will follow a curve' corresponding to the differences of the our- 23. remains a short inthe current 23 and 24 "diagram of Fig. 3 is such a curve, and it will be seen therefrom that the resultant magnetization slowly and gradually rises to its maximum value. The resistances 25 and 26 are preferably so selected that the curve 27 also represents substantially the changes of the exciter voltage or generator field strength upon an increase of the field strength of the exciter. However, it is not essential that this curve should exactly follow such changes, it being sufficient if the resultant magnetization varies in substantially the same manner and in the same direction as the eXciter voltage or generator field strength.

In order that the operation of the regulator may be explained, let it first be assumed that the various parts occupy the positions substantially as shown in Fig. 1 and that the voltage of the distributing circu'it is diminished. The pull of the coil 18 upon the core 17 is then also diminished and the spring19 draws the terminal member 14 into engagement ,with/the member 15. The circuits of the coils 13, 23 and 24 are thus established and the contact terminals 9 and 10 are brought into engagement, with the result that the resistance 8 in the eXciter field circuit is shunted. The eXciter field strength is thus increased and such increase is accompanied by a corresponding but succeeding increase of the generator field strength and voltage, which latter tends to compensate for the diminution of voltage previously mentioned.

Upon establishment of the circuits of the coils 23 and 24:, the resultant magnetization thereof rises gradiially, substantially as represented by the curve 27 of Fig. 3, and, accordingly, after an interval, depending upon the shape of the curve 27, the core 22 is drawn upwardly and the terminal member 15 is thereby withdrawn from engagement with the member 14:. As soon as the said members have become disengaged from each other, the spring 28 causes them to rengage, the said spring being preferably of such a character that the pull or force necessary to distend it rapidly increases as it is dis-- tended. The operation will continue as thus described and the terminal member 14 will be caused by the coil 18 to occupy, or fluctuate slightly with reference to, a position that ing movable contact members, an actuating is dependent upon the voltage of the distributing circuit, so that the relative duration of periods of engagement and disengagement of the terminal members 14: and 15 will depend upon the distributing circuit voltage.

The regulator may be employed not only in connection with alternating current generators, but in connection with direct current generators, as shown in Fi 2, in which the exciter is omitted. In or er to relieve the contact members 14 and lo 111),! the necessity of interrupting the circuits of the coils 23 and 24, and also of the arcing incident thereto, the relay that is operated by the coil 13 may be provided with an additional set of contact members 29 and 30 for that purpose, the said members being better adapted to the particular service since they are actuated more positively and caused more definitely to engage and disengage. Otherwise, the regulator is the same as shown in Fig. 1 and its operation is also the same.

Many other modifications of the system and regulator may, of course, be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is not considered necessary or desirable to illustrate or describe the same.

I claim as my invention I 1, A regulator comprising two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said members, and differential actuating windings for the other member the circuits of which are governed by the said members, and resistances differing in character and respectively in circuit with the differential windings.

2. A regulator comprising two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said members, and differential actuating windings for the other member the circuits of which are governed by the said members, and non-inductive resistances differing in character and respectively in circuit with the differential windings. N i

3. A regulator comprising two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating Winding for one of said members, and differential actuating windings for the other member the circuits of which are governed by the said members, and resistances having different temperature coefficients and respectively in circuit with the differential windings.

4. A regulator comprising two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said members, and differential actuating windings for the other member the circuits of which are governed by the said members, and non-inductive re-' sistances having different temperature coefficients and respectively in circuit with the differential windings.

5. A regulator comprising two cooperatwinding for one of said members and differential actuating windings for the other member having circuits the resistances of which have different temperature coeflicients.

6. A regulator comprising two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said members, and differential actuating windings for the other member having circuits the resistances of which differ in character, the circuits of the differential windings being governed by the contact members.

7. A regulator comprising two cooperat ing movable contact members, an. actuating.

winding for one of said members and differential actuating windings for the other member having circuits the resistances of which have difierent temperature coefficients,

the circuits of the differential windings bemg governed by the contact members.

8. The combination with a circuit and a dynamo-electric machine associated there with, of a regulator for said machine comprising two 'coperating movable contact members, an actuating Winding for one of said members, and differential actuating I windings for the other member the circuits of which are governed by the said members, all of said windings being energized from said circuit.

9. The combination with a circuit "and a dynamo-electric machine associated there-- with, of a regulator for said machine comprising two cooperating movable contact 10. The combination with a main circuit. and a dynamo-electric mach1ne associated therewith, of 'a regulator for said machine comprising two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating Winding for one of said members, and difi'erentialactuating windings for the other member having cir-- cuits the resistancesof which differ in char acter, the circuits of the differential Wind-' ings being governed by the contactmembers' and all ofthe windings being energized from said main circuit.

11. The comblnation with a main circuit and a dynamo-electric machine associated} therewith, of a regulator .for said machinecomprising two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said members, and differential actuating windings for the other member havin -c'ir-. cuits the resistances of which have di erent temperature coeflicients, all of said windings" being energized from said main circuit.

12. The combination with a circuit and a.

dynamo electric machine associated therewith, of a regulator for said machine com- Gopies of this patent may be obtained forflve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

prising two cotjperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said members, and diflerential actuating windings for the other member having circuits the resistances of which have different temperature coefiicients, the circuits of the diiierentialwindings being governed by the contact members and-all-of the windings being energized from said circuit.

13. The. combination with a generator, and

a means for exciting the same, of a reguw lator comprising-two cooperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said-members, differential actuating windings-for the'other member, and means generator for causing theresultant magindependent of thelexciting means for the netizing efi'ectof the differential windings to vary substantially in accordance with" the exc1ting. force. u y I I 141 The combinationilli a generator, and a means for ex'citing'th'e same, of a regulator comprising two; cooperating movable contact members, an actuating winding for one of said members, diflerential1 actuating wlndings for the othei: member, the c rcuits of which are governed bythecontact members, and means independent of the exciting means forthe'generator for causing the resultant magnetiz ing' cfiectbf the difi'erential windings to vary substantially in accord; ance with the ex'citingfoicc. i

15.- The combination with a generator and means for exciting the same, of means for producing 'a force that varies similarly to, but'independent'ly of, the exciting force, and means forregulating the-generator responsive-to-variations of {saidforce and of an electrical condition of the generator.

16. The combination with an electrical cir- I cuit, a dynamo-electric machine associated therewith, and means for exciting the dyna- 1 mo-electric machinQof a regulator for-varying the excitation" of said machine comprising means for producing a forcethat varies similarly to, but" independently of, the-ex citing. force, andlineans-responsive to variations of thesaid force} and": of an electrical condition of said current.

In testimonygwhereofll have hereunto subscribed my name this21'st day of April,"

-' FRANK CONRAD.

Witnesses B. B. HiNns, JAs L. ADAMS,- Jr.

Correction in Letters Patent No. M46327.

improveme tion requiring correction as follows:

current correction Signed and sealed this 21st day of September, A. 1)., 1915.

[SEAL] Pennsylvania,

nt in Electrical Re ulators, an error a ears in the rinted s ecificag PP P P Page 3, line 105, claim 16, .for the word read circuit; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the ca.

J. T. 'NEWTON, Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

